Essendon held on late against West Coast in a Saturday night thriller and is knocking on the door of the top four after a dramatic six-point win at Optus Stadium. 

The Bombers stood up at crucial moments in the fourth quarter to seal the 11.11 (77) to 11.5 (71) win, but they also benefited from a horror lapse in judgement late from premiership Eagle Jamie Cripps when the game was on the line. 

With star forward Jake Waterman lining up for a set shot that would have reduced the gap to four points, Cripps shoved opponent Nic Martin to ground, giving away a free kick at a time when his team had momentum.

While the Eagles rallied again and cut the margin to six points in the final two minutes, they were unable to get the final goal they needed as the Bombers moved to 5-2-1 and just half a game adrift of fourth-placed Melbourne.

The Bombers, who will rue undisciplined moments themselves throughout the game, can thank the cool head of their brilliant captain Zach Merrett and a clutch 50m goal on the boundary from Kyle Langford for sealing the important win. 

Merrett was outstanding with 29 disposals and three goals, leading a deep midfield that was also well served by Darcy Parish (36 and six clearances) and Sam Durham (25 and seven clearances). 

Martin was a thorn in the Eagles' side at half-back with 32 disposals, eight marks and six rebound 50s, lifting as he often does against the team he trialled with during the 2021 pre-season. 

The pattern for Essendon's midfield ascendency was set early as it controlled clearances 13-5 in the first quarter and kicked its two goals from the source, building a 10-point lead at the first break. 

A big contested mark and set shot goal from Waterman had been the Eagles' only early highlight, and they turned again to their in-form forward, who flushed a brilliant set shot from outside 50m to start the second term. When Yeo matched that effort minutes later, West Coast had an unlikely lead. 

The Bombers responded with their best 10-minute period for the half, however, kicking four unanswered goals as their midfielders did as they liked again and their opponents turned the ball over far too frequently. 

When Durham shook Reid at a forward 50 stoppage to snap a neat goal, Essendon was 21 points clear and looked comfortably the better side going into the second half. 

A pair of late goals to Essendon, including a brilliant dribble from the pocket from Merrett for his third, restored a 15-point margin at the last break.

West Coast had ample opportunities in the final quarter to peg that back, but a stunning 50m goal on the boundary from Langford against the run of play gave the Bombers enough breathing room late. 

WEST COAST           1.1   4.2   8.5   11.5 (71)
ESSENDON              2.5   7.6   10.8   11.11 (77) 

GOALS

West Coast: Waterman 3, J Williams 3, Darling 2, Chesser, B Williams, Yeo  
Essendon: Merrett 3, Langford 3, Wright 2, Durham, Duursma, Stringer

BEST  

West Coast: Waterman, Kelly, Duggan, McGovern, J Williams  
Essendon: Merrett, Parish, Durham, Martin, Langford, Perkins

INJURIES

West Coast: Long (knee), Yeo (groin) 
Essendon: Caldwell (calf tightness)

LATE CHANGES 

West Coast: Ryan Maric (illness) replaced in selected side by Dom Sheed 
Essendon: Nil 

SUBSTITUTES

West Coast: Harvey Johnston (replaced Noah Long at three-quarter time) 
Essendon: Ben Hobbs (replaced Jye Caldwell in the third quarter)

Crowd: 51,751 at Optus Stadium